The “Taxachusetts” nickname that plagued Massachusetts in the bad old days is back and could prevent the New England Patriots football team from winning the Super Bowl again.

This is not a joke.

Massachusetts voters have approved a bill passed by the state legislature in 2022 that raises taxes on the state’s top earners. The so-called “millionaire tax” or “Fair Share Amendment” to the Massachusetts Constitution is a four percent tax on income over $1 million, making the top income tax bracket, at nine percent, the seventh highest in the country.

Former New England Patriots head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick reportedly said The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN that higher income taxes could deter talent from considering the Patriots.

The Wall Street Journal Belichick reportedly told McAfee, “This is Taxachusetts.”

“Virtually every player, even the practice squad players, even the minimum salary players, are getting pretty close to $1 million,” he said. “Once you get to the $1 million mark, you start paying more taxes in Massachusetts.”

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center explains: “The Fair Share Amendment, passed by voters in 2022, generates billions annually in support for transportation and public education.”

MassLive.com reported that critics of the tax denounce it as “a burden on the state’s economy that contributes to population depopulation.”

MassLive quotes former Boston Celtics player Grant Williams, now with the Dallas Mavericks, as saying the tax played a role in his decision to leave Massachusetts.